Chapter 164 : Might Have To Face Three Tails
Karui, Omoi—even Hinata and Shino—had no idea who Samui was referring to.
Although shinobi history was taught at the Konoha Academy, it was never covered in depth. As a result, many ninja didn’t even know about Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the legendary founders of the village.
Even the Fourth Hokage and other higher-ups only briefly mentioned those figures, so naturally, none of the younger ninja recognized the name Samui brought up.
Riku smiled and said, "You’re talking about the Fourth Hokage, right? He was incredibly strong. I’d say he’s one of the greatest Hokage in Konoha’s history. Back in his era, no one could evade his attacks."
In truth, at the time, Killer Bee’s reflexes were comparable to those of the Fourth Hokage.
Of course, Killer Bee had been much younger then and didn’t yet know space-time ninjutsu. But in terms of sheer reaction speed, he was already on par with Minato Namikaze.
The Flying Thunder God Technique demanded an extremely high level of reflexes. If a ninja lacked the reaction speed, learning the technique was pointless. After all, Flying Thunder God only teleports the user to a marked location—actually landing a strike still required lightning-fast reflexes.
That critical moment—the instant between reappearing and attacking—was where battles were won or lost. If your reaction speed lagged behind your opponent’s, you’d be dead the moment you appeared.
This had been proven during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Even the Second Hokage had failed to react fast enough against Uchiha Madara. The moment Tobirama used Flying Thunder God, Madara was already upon him, giving him no time to counterattack.
That’s why the strength of Flying Thunder God depends entirely on who’s using it—and how well it’s coordinated with tactics.
Of course, Riku wasn’t about to say that Killer Bee’s reflexes were on the same level as Minato’s. That would’ve been seen as arrogance—or worse, weakness.
And honestly, Samui didn’t know the full details anyway. She only knew that Namikaze Minato had once defeated the Fourth Raikage.
He was the only ninja who could retreat safely after clashing with the Raikage during a mission.
As the one known throughout the ninja world as the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze’s power was truly awe-inspiring.
For a civilian-born ninja to reach such a level... it was deeply admirable.
Samui, calm and composed as always, clearly thought of Minato Namikaze too. And perhaps because of that comparison, she believed Riku might be a similarly gifted civilian-born shinobi.
Her icy gaze fixed on Riku. She was as cold and serious as ever—just like her name suggested.
"You became a Jōnin at thirteen. Konoha must be training you to be the next Hokage," she said evenly.
Riku met her gaze with calm indifference. "You’re overthinking it. There are plenty of ninja stronger than me in my village."
Samui scoffed lightly. "Outside of the Five Great Nations’ villages, no other hidden village has produced a genius of your caliber. I find it hard to believe there are others stronger than you."
Riku didn’t argue. Truthfully, even he had doubts about that. So he didn’t reply further.
Instead, he shifted the topic. "I’ve always been curious about your village—especially Killer Bee, the Eight Tails’ Jinchūriki."
He continued, "We have the Nine Tails’ Jinchūriki in our village. I’ve heard Lord Killer Bee is a perfect Jinchūriki—he can fully control his tailed beast. I wonder what method your village uses to achieve that level of control."
Samui gave Riku a sidelong glance. "Do you think I’d be privy to that kind of top-secret information?"
Even though Killer Bee was the teacher of Karui and Omoi, neither of them knew how he had become a perfect Jinchūriki.
In fact, Cloud Shinobi Village was the only place in the ninja world where perfect Jinchūriki had been created.
The Fourth Mizukage had also been able to control his tailed beast, but he was already dead.
As for Yugito Nii, she couldn’t achieve perfect synchronization with the Two Tails. Instead, she had forcibly suppressed the tailed beast’s will and could utilize its chakra.
Even in full transformation, she didn’t lose her sanity. But it wasn’t the same kind of harmony that Killer Bee shared with the Eight Tails.
Clearly, someone of Samui’s rank wouldn’t have access to how her village accomplished it.
Riku understood that too. He had only brought it up to keep the conversation flowing.
Just then, Ino returned to her body, her chakra noticeably depleted.
Seeing her so drained, Riku handed her a military ration pill.
Ino smiled faintly. "I found the location of their hideout."
Samui’s mission had already dealt with the rebellion in Kirigakure. But seeing Ino’s report, Hinata flinched—she was kindhearted by nature, and the images Ino had seen left her unsettled.
After receiving the information from Ino, Riku smirked. "Looks like they went into deep hiding. They must’ve known we’d come after them. They’ve holed up on an island."
The rogue ninjas—Akita and the others—had hidden themselves on a small island in the lake where the Three Tails had once been sealed.
If a battle broke out there, the Three Tails might awaken.
It was likely they had chosen that location specifically to use the Three Tails as a deterrent. Even elite ninja avoided that island.
Riku looked at Samui, who gave a subtle nod.
He spoke: "Together?"
Samui met his gaze. "Planning to go in solo?"
Riku smiled. "That island holds the Three Tails. Even a Jōnin could die if they aren’t careful."
Samui raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?"
Riku thought for a moment. "This mission is dangerous—even for Jōnin. I’m saying, if things go wrong, someone could die."
Samui was well aware that the Three Tails was a tailed beast—one of immense power. Even experienced Jōnin could fall in battle against it.
"This is an S-rank mission," she said seriously. "We accepted it, so we’ll complete it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be cool."
Riku couldn’t help but smirk. The phrase "not cool" was a signature line of Samui’s.
"I can guarantee that I won’t die," Riku said flatly. "And I can ensure my squad’s safety too. But can you say the same about yours?"
Karui immediately spoke up, her expression firm. "We can handle ourselves."
Riku turned to her. She clearly didn’t understand the scale of what they were about to face.
"Big sister," he said teasingly—Karui was older by a year, after all—"Do you even understand what a tailed beast is? We’re not talking about some Genin mission. A tailed beast can destroy a whole nation."
Though Riku meant it as a gentle jab, there was truth in his words.
Because Cloud had never suffered a tailed beast rampage—not since Killer Bee and Yugito Nii had fully controlled theirs—Karui had no real idea of their destructive power.
The same was true for Omoi. Even though Killer Bee was their sensei, they had never seen him fully unleash the Eight Tails.
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early Chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated
--------